Road drag and grader



Aug. M, 1923. l

B. WHTTEMQRE ROAD DRAG AND GRADER.

Filed S6911. Z7 1922 2 ShB-Zhsh 1 Zig. l.

narran 'sr-'aras rarita Patented Aug. ll, i923.

Eli d es.

BENNIE WHIQITTEMORE, 0F ALBERTEYA, MINNESOTA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO A. C. ERICKSON, OF ALBERT "LEA, B'INNESOI'A. Y

ROAD :DRAG AND GRADER.

To all w/Lo'm t may concern.'

Be it known that I, BENNIE lVr-Hirntronn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Albert Lea, in the county of Freeborn and State of Minnesota, have invented certain nevi7 and useful Improvements in `Road Drags and` Graders; and l do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skiiled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates Vto a road drag or grader. Such road drags' are used to iniprove the road and do not materially change the general forms of the roadbed, but merely distribute the loose earth into depressions in the road and pack the same thereinto without tearing up the hard packed crust or surface of the roa-d or the Vunderlying foundation thereof. Many roads. have their central portion well packed and surfaced but have sod or weeds grown up at the sides thereof where there is more or less loose dirt. Itis the `function of the road drag to cut and remove the sod and weeds and to distribute the loose dirt efficiently over the road where the same will be packed down by the traiiic. f 1

It is an object of this invention to provide a -road drag or scraper comprising a' frame having laterally swinging blade-` carryingmembers pivoted to the rear sides thereof, which members extend forwardly and alongthe side ofv the frame. It is a further object of the invention to provide a road drag or scraper 'having such a blade carrying member, together with means for moving said member both inward toward the frame and outward away from the same.

It is another object .of the invention to provide such a drag or scraper having truck means adjacent the forward ,ends of the blade-carrying members and also having a truck means adjacent the rear endv of the frame. together with mechanism by which said blades and frame may be raised and supported on Vsaid trucks.

These and otherobjects and advantages of theinvention will be. fully set fort-h in the following description made in connection with the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters refer to the line 7 7 of Fig. 5, as indicated by Application led September 27, 1922. Serial No. 530,952.

same parts throughout the diiferent views and in which,

F l is a topvplan view of the device;

Fig. 2 is a vertical .section taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. l, as indicated by the arrows, the same being shown on an enlarged scale;

l Fig. 3 isa vertical section taken onthe line 3 8 of F ig. l, as indicated by the arrows, the same also being shown on an enlarged scale; l

Fig. 4 is a view in rear elevation of the device;

F ig. 5 is` a partial view in side elevation thereof;

Fig. 6 is a central vertical section the rear end'of the device;

Fig. 7 is a horizontalsection taken on the the arthrough rows;

F ig. S is a view in front elevation of a part of the mechanism; and

Fig. 9 is a vertical section taken on the line 9-9 of Fig. 8, as indicated by the arrows.

Referring to the drawings, the device comprises a substantially horizontal frame member having the rearwardly diverging side members l and the rear cross member 2.

`The front of said frame is of appreciable width and is adapted tobe connected tothe drawbar or rear of a tractor designated generally as B. Bolts 3 entend downward through the overlapped ends of members i, and 2 at the rear corners of the frame and pass through bosses i formed on members 5 and are threadedat their lower ends and screwed into bosses 6 also formed on said members 5. rlhe members 5 are formed of standard channels with the iianges thereof turned outwardly and those members extend forwardly along and beyond the sides of the frame member and have secured thereto the blade members .7 extending substantially throughout the entire length thereof. The blade members 7 normally are in contact with the ground and are provided with comparatively sharp edges at their lower sides. The members 5 and 7 have secured adjacent their front ends cable members 8, which cables pass over sheaves 9 mounted adjacent the front of the tractor frame B and then.

Y pass rearwardly and are secured to drums Vio ' 'members5 10 and 11 mounted on a shaft 12 carried in a bracket 13 secured to the frame members V1. The drum 1 0 rotates freely en the shaft 12 and .basa gear 14 secured at one end thereof adapted to be engaged and rotated Vin either direction by a double pawl 15 pivdrum `V11 has a portion'of` large diameteradjacentV the lever 16 and a portion 19 of smaller Kdiameter rigid therewith and' ex- `tending from one end thereof. `The drum 11`is also freely mounted on lthe shaft-12 and has a ratchet gear 2O atene end thereof also adapted to be engaged by a double pawl 21 so as to be movedl in either direcv tion by swinging movements of the lever 16 t0 which said pawl ispivotally connected. The pawls 15 and 21 can be heldin posi# tion entirely out of engagement with the ratchet wheels 14 and 2O by the spring' members 22 mountedl on lever 16. The drum 11 also has a ratchet wheel 23 at its small end arranged to be engaged by a freely swingingrdog 24 mounted on the bracket 13. .'lhe small drum 19 has a cable 25 secured theretopassing over a sheave 26 mounted on the underside of a cross member `27 of the frame and `having its end secured to a link 28 disposed beneath the frame members 1. Said link28 is pivotally connected at' its `forward end to the projecting end of a member 29 secured to the underside of thefraine members 1 and is pivotally connected at its rear end to the end of another link 30, which latter link projects forward and has its forward end pivotally secured to one of the v Each of the members 5 has secured there. to,V somewhat adjacent its forward end,- a

bracketi 31 forming the bearing for an upright standard 3 2 journaled therein, which standardhas a sheave carrying rod 33 journaled in its upper end. The lower end ofV the standard32 is threaded and screwed into a forked bracket 34 in which isjournaled a ground-engaging wheel 35. A cable member 36 has its-end connected to a spring 37 which is, in turn, connected to an eye-bolt secured in the bracketsl and member 5 in front Vof the standard 32. rIhis cable mem-V berzpasses over the sheave in the member 33 and overanotherlsheave 38 mounted in an upstanding flange ofthe brackets 31. Said cable then passes tothe rearof the member 5 where it passes over a sheave 39 journaled on the bolt 3 above the frame members land is secured to a' lever 40 (see lFigs.V 1 and 3). The lever 40 is provided with the usual grip-operated pawl adapted to engage withv av quadrant member 41 forming part' o f abracket secured to the frame member 1 and to which the lever 40 is pivoted, so that the lever can; be held in various adjusted positions. The standard 321mg apin member 42 passing therethrough and extending along one side thereof, which, at certain times, Vis adapted to aline with and seat in agroove be noted that there aretwo sets ofthe parts just described, one for each of the members5. i I

pair of rearwardly,extendingV arms 44 are pivotedatftheir front ends in upstanding` lugs secured to the cross member 2 7 and these bars have top and bottom members 45 extending therebetween and bolted thereto,

whichmmembers form the bearings for a standard 46 of a1 swlveled bracket 4'?, 1n

which is journaled a ground-engagingtruck wheel 4S. The standard 461isiheld in place by alpin 49 passing therethroughresting on thetop member 45. will be noted that the wheel 48 is disposed in a-slot formed in therearpart of a platform member `50 covering thespace between the frame members 1 and f2. The bars 44ei-tend tothe rear of the standard 46` and have extendingtherebetween and pivotally connected thereto acljacenty'their outer ends, the horizontal arms of a vertically extending rack member 51. This rackis engaged by a. pinion 52 rigidly secured to a shaft'53 mounted in the: arms 54 ofanupright bearing secured toV the rear memberQ/fV The shaft 53 has a-"crank handie-55 secured at one'end thereof forfturn'- Vingthe same and also` carries a ratchetmember 56 engaged by a spring pawllf. TheV Vrackl is held inengagement with the gear 52 fbyfa strap member 5.7,the ends of which enses@ the Shaft 5.3..

The machine also comprises :a reardragV member 5S having rearwardly projecting and-converging Asides 59, the ends of. which extend forwardly and hayeglugs thereon operated to loosely engage the pivotbolts 31 The Vstrap 58 can befra-ised at its,V rear end about said lugs andtbolts, and, forthispurpose, a link or rod 60 is connected to the'rear central portion thereefand extends u pwardfv ly where it is connected to a` yoke portion 61V of a sleeve member 62 journaled on the shaft 53T which yoke portion passes around the pinion 52. The sleeve 62 extends through'one of the bracket arms54uandhas Va crank handle 63 securedtheretoffor turn- Y with a ratchet64 andspring-pressed pawl 65 for holdingthesanielin variouspositions.

In operation,` the scraper ,wijllljbe drawn forward by the tractor 4B andthe loose sodgetc., willbe loosened and scrapedalong by the blades 7j. 'Y Thisimaterial will pass along said blades andthe uniformlyV andvefii- Y C'eltlr CliStrbi/ifedf cette road. filling up: any depressions jw-hich have Abeen formed in the surface thereof. As the machine is drawn forward, the members 5 will be swung Youtwardly about the pivot bolts 3 by thefriction on the road. vWhen it is desired to draw the members and 7 inwardly, the lever 16 will be operated and the proper pawl l5 or 2l engaged with one of the gears 14 or 2O of the drums l()y and 11. lf the member 5 shown at the right of Fig. l is to be drawn up the lever will be operated to turn the ratchet 14 and drum l() and the cablel 8 will thus be wound thereonto pull the said member 5 inwardly. If the member 5 at the left of the machine is to be drawn Vin, the drum 1l will be centrally operated by the lever 16. lt is often desired to move the member 5 at the left of the machine inwardly to allow an approaching vehicle topass the scraper and it is desirable to quickly swing this member outwardly to its operative position. For this purpose, the links 28 and 30 are provided and it will be noted that by turning the drum l1 in one direction the cable will tend to straighten the links 28 "and whiclr form a toggle structure and thus force the arms 5 and blades 7 to their outward position. As the large and small portions of the drum 11 are secured together, it will be noted that the cable 8 will be unwound from one portion as the cable 25 is wound up on `the other. These drums, therefore, together with the lever 16, form means forV swinging the member 5 and blades 7 both outwardly and inwardly. When the members 5 and 7 are to be swung it is desirable to sup-port the same unon the wheels 35. At this time, the levers 4 are swung to pull on the cables 36V and the front Vends of the members 5 are thus lifted, the

wheels V and the standards 32 supporting the weight thereof. When the ends of the members 5 are thus lifted the spring 37 will be placed under considerable tension and when the wheels 35 swing aro-und to position with their planes substantially normal to` the longitudinal axes of the members 5, as will happen when the members are swung inwardly, the pin 42 will snap into .the

groove 43 and said wheels will thus temporarily be held in said position. With the wheels in this position, the members 5 and blades 7 are quickly and easily swung inwardly and the wheel will also retain this position while said members swing outwardly. lVhen the Vmembers have reached their desired outward position the member will be again swung to permit the same tocome in Contact with thc'ground.

1 rEhe operator standing on the platform 50 Ycan turn the crank arm and through the pinion and Vrack 5 1 can raise the rear end, off the frame and members 5 and 7 the same being carried by the wheel 48. By turning the crank 63 the rear strap'59 `ycan be swung upwardly .out of contact with the ground through the movement of the yoke 61. The frame 1V will be keptbalanced horizontally to a considerable degree by the width thereof at its front end where it is connected to the tractor B, as any sidewise tilting of the frame will be resisted by the connection to the tractor.

From the above description it is seen` that 'applicant has provided a simple and efficient road drag or scraper, the parts of which can be readily manipulated. The scraper, at one side of the device, can be quickly swung inwardly and outwardly to permit an approaching vehicle to pass. The device can be quickly lraised upon the trucks and quickly lowered to position. The machine is made of few parts and these Vmay be made of very strong and rugged character to withstand the usage intended and to furnish the proper weight-for such a device.

it will, of course, be understood that various changes may be made in the form, details and arrangement of the parts without departing from the scope of applicants invention, which, generally stated, consists in the matter shown and Ydescribed and set forth in the appended` claims.

What is claimed is:

l. A road drag and scraper device having in combination, a frame, a'drag and blade carrying member pivoted at the rear thereof, standard mounted for vertical movement in said member adjacent the front thereof and carrying a ground-engaging wheel at its lower end, a sheave carried by said standard, a cable secured to said member at the front of said standard passing over said sheave, and means on said frame for pulling on said cable to raise said drag member and support the same on said wheel.

2, A road drag and'scraper device having in combination, a frame, a drag and blade carrying member pivoted at tie rear end thereof, a wheel adjacent the front end of said member having a standard vertically movable in said member, a sheave carried at the top of said standard, an extensible resilient means secured to said member in front of said standard, a cable secured to said meansand passing over said sheave, means on the frame for taking up said cable, and means on said standard engaging a means on said drag and blade carrying member when the plane of said wheel is sub` stantially normal to the longitudinal axis of said member. Y

3. A road drag having in combination`r a frame, blade carrying members extending forwardly from the rearA corners thereof, pivot pins connecting said members to said frame, a rear scraper loosely secured to said pivots and comprising rearwardly extending converging sides, a platform at the rear of frame,'means operable from said .platfcrm for raising the rear ends of said blade members, and means, operable from `said ala-tierna -for raisin@ said rear Scraper.A Y,

.4. "Amor-"td drag andseraping device havrlg Combination,.a traine, dra-g and blade carrying/bars pivoted toeachside ofthe saine at the rear thereof extending i'orwaivdly Y and beyond said VVframe, means Vfor swinging v -svaid bars inwardly, truck wheels adjacent the ,iront ends ofsaid bars,;sta ndards siinaoiinff said-wheels and means for AH Y. Lui. `D Y ..7 vi

raising.V said bars to be supported by said truck -wheels including hand-operating -devices on' saidframe, andieables extend' ig to said-standards. Y v v far-oath drag and. scraper device having iiicombnaton, a SCI-aref and bla-de Carrying member piviited .adjacent `its rear corners Vandy ej'tending forwardly along the vsides thereof, V`a truck wheel mounted substantially transversely centrally oi' and at the rear of said framaiastanclar-d rising from said wheel, a Vraclr K carrying 1member secured tosaid standard, anda crank-operated pin- Vion .secured to .said frame andv engaging Y said rack forraising said frame.

operatedgear Amounted in a bracket at the rear ofsaid Vfra-ine and engaging said rack` foi- 'lifting said iframe.`

7. rlhe struct-ure set forth in claim V6, a shaft on which .said 'gear and crank are mounted, a rear l'scraper connected to said frame, a crank-operated sleeve mounted on said slaaf@ and means connected to said sleeve andrear scraper for raising the latter.

8. A road dragl and sera-per device having in combination, a frame, a blade carrying fmember pivoted at the rearend thereof and extendingiorwardly along the sidetheieof, links secured-to-said member and' frame and pivotedtogetherto form a toggleinechanism,and means on said Ytraine secured to said links including a drum and a cable Y adapted to `be wound thereon for moving Othesame toward a straightened position to move said member outwardly.

9. A road dragpand scraper device having in combination, a frame, blade carry- -ing members pivoted to the rear corners thereof and extending forwardly at 'each side ofthe-saine, a cable securedV to one ot saidmembersladJacent its front end, a drum on said frame over which said cable passes for winding said cable and moving said member inwardly, a cable, connected adj acentv the -front end of' the other osaid ine-inra members, V4a cable and link connes-edV adjacent the rear end of said last mentioned member, cofaXia-l drums over -which `said,

lastinentioned cables pass for-moving said member inwardly and outwardly, and a single llever-'for operating all of'said drums.V

l0. Aroad drag and scraping deviceV having in combination,l a frame, drag and blade Vcarrying bars pivoted at the rear corners thereoi-and extending orwardlygat each side of the same, means for moving one of said members toward said iframe, means for moving 'the other of said` members tow-ard said y'fra-ine, means for movin0r said lastV mentioned member away from` said trame, and l'a single means'for operating all of said means.

11. Aroad dragand scraperv device having'vn combination, a frame, anoperating Y platform atthe rear of said frame, a drag and nbladecarrying member V-pivoted to the side oitsaid iframe at the rear :end thereof and, extending Lforwardly along and beyond said rame,a cablefconnected totl'ie-ro'ntend o-said -member for swinging the same in- Ywardly, means connected intermediate of' said members for swinging the sameoutwai'dly, -a cable for operating said last mentioned means and co-aXially mounted drums of different diameters on which-saidcables are wound for moving-said' members inwardly and outwardly.

-12. A road drag Vvand scraper devicehaving in combination, la .frame, aV member im Y adapted to operate upon the road pivoted at .the rear or said 'trame and extending longitudinaily at the side thereof, a groundengaging'rrwheel carried by 'said member adjacent its outer end, and means controlledV from the,rearoi'saidjirame adapted towlitt said member so vthat the same is supported on said wheel. f y Y 13. A device Afor oper-ating on roads having in combination, a trame, a scraper at the rearthereoi having rearwardlyv converg-v ing sides pivotally connectediat their JforwardV ends to saidframe, arevoluble yoke carried by saicvirame and connected centrally to saidV scraper, andineans for turn-V ingsaid'yolre to lift said` scraper. t le. The structure-set gt'orth in claim i3,

a ground-engaging roller adjacenttlie end Y .oisaid frame disposed centrally thereolrra raclr carriedbyY said roller, a pinion secured to asha't-journaled insaid yoke and said frame engaging saidraclnjand means tor turning said shatto Araise said pinion and the rear end of said frame.V

Y Y A road drag having in combination, a Mfr-ame, a drag and bla-de carrying memberv pivoted to the sideofsaid frame at tlieerear end thereof v and extending forwardly along j and beyondV said frame, pulleys. secured to the `front of said frame, cables running over saidpulleys and connected, respectively, ad; l

jacent the encls of said members, an operators platform at the rear of sind frame, a toggle connected torone of sald members and frame, a. Gable oonneeteolL to said toggle Y to straighten tbe same and move said last mentloned member outwardly, and co-axlally mounted drums for wmclmg up sald rs't mentioned cables to draw Said member inwardly and to wind up said last mentioned cable to move one of said members outwardly.

In testimony whereorn l ax my signa,- ture.

BENNIE WHITTEMORE. 

